MELBOURNE, Fla. — Dozens of Melbourne residents at a town hall Tuesday voiced their concerns over the city's tap water.
- Residents complain the water smells, taste funny
- Trace amounts of saxitonxin found in the water
- Melbourne's city leaders say the water is safe to drink
- RELATED: Melbourne Residents Say Water Smells like 'Chlorinated Dirt'
This comes as the city admits that trace amounts of saxitoxin were recently found in the water.
Last week, residents complained about funny-tasting and smelly water.
Earlier this month, the city warned toxic blue-green algae may be present in Lake Washington, which is one of the two sources of water for Melbourne customers. Blue-green algae can form naturally in warm waters.
On its Facebook page, the city of Melbourne said that preliminary tests show negative results for the toxins and that the water is safe to drink. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection also conducted tests, however, Melbourne officials stated in a Facebook post that they have not received the results yet.
Officials from St Johns River Water Management District, the Department of Health, the Department of Environmental Protections and Melbourne Public Works were all on hand to address residents' concerns.
Jake Zehnder, chair of Sierra Club Turtle Coast, says something need to be done before people get sick.
"I live in the city of Melbourne and currently drink the water," Zehnder said. "There's definitely a smell like wet soil, we don't have the discoloration at our particular house."
State representative Randy Fine says his family drinks the water and they haven't had any issues.
"My son, my wife, my whole family drinks the water and we haven't had any issues," Fine said. "I don't dispute the questions or the calls we've gotten because we got so many of them. At least where we are so far we haven't had any issues. We drink Melbourne city water."
The city's water department adjusted its treatment process to remove additional bacteria. That treatment caused water customers to report a stronger chlorine smell and taste.
Although officials are saying the water is safe to drink, residents left the meeting shaking their heads in disbelief.
Officials say the water will be tested again this week.
The results of algal bloom samples taken by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection can be found here.